The strange life of Alpha females, as powerful as males (and with the pseudo-penis)

Researchers initially thought it was a unique behavior in the animal world: a male hyena giving birth, and nursing! Only later did they discover that they were not in front of a male specimen, but in front of a female, with a clitoris the size of a penis which had misled scientists into establishing sex.

Today we know that it is the pseudo-pene: a structure externally similar to the male genital organ, even with the presence of the scrotum, which in reality, however, is a clitoris that can reach up to 90% of the length of a penis. The only anatomical and physiological difference is the lack of urethra: females cannot, in fact, urinate from the clitoris, but on the other hand they can give birth to us!

He was made famous by the iene maculate (Crocuta crocuta), but they are not the only animals to possess it as it has also been discovered in other species, including the bear cat (Arctictis binturong), the spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi), i fossa malgasci (Cryptoprocta ferox) and, always endemic to Madagascar, ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta).

What do these different and distant species have in common? The fact that they are matriarchal species, in which the female is, therefore, at the top of the hierarchy and commands the rest of the group. This led the researchers to investigate what were the hormonal causes that led to the manifestation of the pseudo-penis and studies agree that this phenomenon is due to testosterone. Testosterone levels in female spotted hyena are as high as those in males! High levels of testosterone are thought to be transferred to male and female offspring via the placenta and this, therefore, exposes both sexes to a high level of masculinity during gestation.

The “stronger sex”

Specifically for hyenas, dominant females are known to be quite aggressive, much more so than their male counterparts and, again, this appears to be traced back to the high testosterone levels. In fact, alpha females have greater access to resources than other members of the group and in many cases carry out infanticide, killing the pups of lower-ranking females. It is therefore important for subordinate females to carry out a ritual behavior that reaffirms social status, and here again the pseudo-penis comes into play. When the females greet each other, they stand parallel, facing opposite directions; then, they raise their hind legs and show each other their fully erect pseudo-penises. At this point they will lick and sniff each other to recognize each other’s social status.

Sexual intercourse? Only if you agree

Another great advantage of the pseudo-penis is that it makes mating a somewhat complicated action for males and this reduces the risk of ‘rape’. Most of the time, the female’s reproductive tract is blocked by the fake scrotum, such that for copulation to take place, a female must remain still and patiently retract her pseudo-penis. In other words, the sexual act does not occur without the full consent and cooperation of the female.

The effort of being a mother

However, the pseudo-penis not only has advantages in terms of social rank and potency, but also a lot of risks in being a mom. Unfortunately, there are serious costs in reproduction, precisely because of this strange clitoris. In fact, almost all first-born cubs of spotted hyena are born dead, since the placenta is not long enough for the birth canal of the pseudo-penis. In addition, the first birth takes a long time, since the laceration of the meatus of the pseudo-penis is necessary, allowing the passage of the fetus; as a result, firstborns often die of hypoxia.

In short, “wearing trousers” is certainly not an easy thing if, in addition to dominating the group, one must also respond to the biological urge to be mothers, but this, most females of all species, already know.